Bears finding themselves, getting healthy for stretch run
By Greg Moore
Banner Sports Editor
While they have yet to get into the win column, the Butler County High School Bears football team has been improving week in and week out. The Bears have been in a brutal stretch of the season, schedule-wise, but they have stayed positive through great leadership from their coaches along with this group of seniors. And, despite being down many times, it can always be heard, “the game is not over, keep your heads up, we are going to come back and win this,” from some of these great young leaders.
Butler County got out of district play this past Friday night hosting the Bethlehem Eagles, a 1A powerhouse, ranked in the top ten. The Eagles soared over the Bears, displaying speed with ball-hawking and play-making skills throughout the night; however, this gritty Bears team continued to fight proudly for their well-supported fans. And the band gave a glimpse of their showcase-ability while staying the entire night, rallying on the Bears, who eventually fell, 53-20.
To start the game, the Eagles deferred to the Bears and Garrett Phelps led the Bears across midfield with an open-field, spin-move juke on an Eagle defender while picking up one first down; then, he connected with fellow senior and favorite receiver, Kellon Meredith, to move the chains another time. Unfortunately, they could not convert a fourth down and the Eagles took over, reaching the end zone on their first possession.
Kellon Meredith, shown here on his 44-yard touchdown catch, has averaged a touchdown a game this season.
Luckily, Butler County retained one of the several fumbles within the game on the ensuing kickoff. They continued to move the ball down into the red zone behind Phelps distributing the ball around to receivers, Meredith, Clayton Deweese, and Cainan Vincent, and a nice keeper up the middle himself. Some setbacks put them out of going for a fourth and long, but they pinned the Eagles deep inside their own five on a sweet punt by Will Amos; only, for it to be negated by a wide receiver screen that went 94 yards two plays later.
A block in the back took away a long return by Clay Steff and the Bears had to start at their own 13. Trever Deweese hauled in a first down and Steff picked up another on a critical fourth down run. But an interception set up another long touchdown by the visitors; however, Phelps got dialed in with Meredith on a 44-yard touchdown strike and run and Trever Deweese, who went up high for the two-point conversion catch, too.
Gaining some momentum and down only two scores, 22-8, Tucker DeJarnette brought continuous harassment on the Eagles quarterback to help force them to punt on their next possession. But without much time, the Bears were unable to score again before halftime, which featured the BC Jr Pro football players and the BCHS Marching Band.
Butler County Jr Pro Football Players were recognized at halftime of the Bethlehem game
From the first play of the second half, Bethlehem derailed the thoughts of momentum shifts for the Bears with another big play score. Then, the Bears went three and out. Plus, the Eagles returned the punt for a touchdown. Less than two minutes into the second half of play, the score ballooned to 37-8.
The Bears moved into Eagle territory on receptions by Vincent and the Deweese cousins; but they turned it over on downs, thereafter. Retaliating, Jett Johnson striped the quarterback and recovered the fumble to set up Phelps slicing and dicing the Eagles defense with his scrambling ability.
Running out of bounds would not be an option for this workhorse, Lonnie Phelps, who is about to punish a defensive back.
After the defense forced the Eagles to turn it over on downs, an errant shuffle pass gave it back to them. They got stymied at the goal line; then, the Bears blocked their field goal attempt. But more tough luck pursued. A Phelps pass that bounced off a receiver fell perfectly in an Eagle’s grasp. The pick-six silenced the Bears as the Eagles went up, 45-14. After the visitors scored again, Vincent was recipient of another touchdown pass from Phelps to wrap up the scoring in the game.
After a week off to recoup during fall break, the Bears will get back into district action with a surprisingly impressive Adair County team, who is coming to Morgantown the following week in the last home game and will be senior night. The Indians (6-1) lost their first game to unbeaten Hart County in week seven, 40-21. Johnson and Amos were both able to get back on the field against Bethlehem; and, the Bears will get Maddox Moore, who has been out all season, back from a broken clavicle, which he suffered in a preseason scrimmage.
After Adair County, the Bears will finish on the road at Glasgow (3-4 overall 0-2 district) and at Beaver Dam. The Glasgow contest will be the last for district play, while the rivalry, Ohio County matchup, could be the last game of the season for the Bears if they don’t manage to make the playoffs. The Eagles also remain winless, scoring only 37 points all season, while giving up an average of 42.
